One Person Killed in California Boat Accident

One person has been confirmed dead in an accident involving a sailboat participating in a race in the waters just off Southern California.

One person has been confirmed dead in an accident involving a sailboat participating in a race in the waters just off Southern California. According to news reports, the 32-foot sailboat was participating in the Islands Race, which is co hosted by the San Diego Yacht Club.

The sailboat lost its steering and began drifting towards San Clemente Island. The sailboat then collapsed, and all the 6 persons on board were thrown into the water. A 36-year-old architect from Costa Mesa died in the accident. Five other crew members were later rescued by the Coast Guard. They suffered serious injuries, including cuts, bruises as well as hypothermia.

As soon as the sailboat accident occurred, the crew members quickly issued a Mayday call, and also activated the GPS alert on the sailboat. They also asked for towboat assistance, but because of the stormy sea conditions, it took a long time for the towboat to get to them. Initially, the crew members believe that they would be able to get back into the race, and did not require assistance. However, things began getting worse because they could not deploy the life raft, and could not anchor the boat. Stormy conditions in the area also created trouble in the form of equipment failure for 2 other boats that were also participating in the race, forcing those crews to abandon the race.

This seems to have been an experienced sailboat crew, and the captain was a well-known figure in the sailboat racing circuit.

This doesn’t seem to have been an accident involving alcohol use, but boating accident lawyers find that alcohol use is cited as a factor in most boating accident fatalities that occur every year in the country. Other factors include excessive speed, and malfunctioning of the boat.